I have two questions:

1. I have seen Bay-Gen crank radios mostly for around $80. However, I saw a Nippon radio AND flashlight on www.beprepared.com for $25.00. Does anyone have any info on this product or any opinions on whether to take a chance on it?

2. I bought potassium iodide tablets from www.y2ksupplies.com. Now I see they also have potassium iodate tablets. I think I got confused. Is one substantially better than the other? Did I make a mistake?

Thanks for your help.

-- dakota (none@thistime.com), October 05, 1999

Answers

Dakota, I have both the Baygen and Nippon and am pleasee with them. I use them in an emergency. In one week (in Aug.) my subdivision had 3 power outages....I just cranked up the radio and waited for the power to return. The Nippon is a small radio, but the sound is good, it runs by crank, batteries and solar. I liked it so much that I sent one to my brother for father's day.

-- queitly (quietly@preparing.com), October 05, 1999.

dakota,

You got the right one, don't worry. If I weren't on my way to bed w/ an oogy headcold, I'd go through my downloaded stuff and rediscover the reason why this is so. Try a google.com search on both compounds...

-- PH (ag3@interlog.com), October 05, 1999.

dakoda,

look down the post for nuc ? in Japan.You will get alot of info.I bought the kind you have but,after reading the post I am going to get the other kind,it has a longer shelf life and no bitter taste.

-- Maggie (aaa@aaa.com), October 05, 1999.

Iodide is KI. Iodate is KIO3. The iodate is supposed to taste better.

See http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000vKF and also http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000vD4 and http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000v59 and http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000puv and of course http://home.earthlink.net/~kenseger/surv/IODINE.TXT and the source http://www.advance-scientific.com item # POT590 125g for $53.oo and 500g for $108.oo + shipping reagent grade purity 99.0%.

Note that a pound of KI is about 3500 doses, so since 1/2 a kilo is a bit over a pound so, that's less than $0.05 a dose. See http://home.earthlink.net/~kenseger/surv/IODINE.TXT for details.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), October 05, 1999.

here is a direct link to the primary source of K103- potassium IODATE (which is what I ended up buying after tearing my hair out for months)

http://www.medicalcorps.org/special.html

You didn't make a mistake. However the potassium IODATE tablets "allegedly" have a much longer shelf life. plus, as has been mentioned, they easier to take (good point if kids are involved)

btw- thanks Ken for all the usual links. they're always useful.

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), October 05, 1999.

Ken - If I purchase the bulk POTASIUM IODATE, powder, reagent from the link you provided, must I dilute with water or can the powder be measured and placed in gelatin capsules? If so, any suggestions on dosing in powder form? We are considering purchase for our small community but had decided not to due to logistics of handing out a liquid form of bulk purchase not being realistic and price of pill form being what it is......The ideal would be to purchase in bulk but distribute in oral dosages - open to suggestions......Thanks in Advance

-- New Kid on the Block (BetterGetPrepped@aol.com), October 06, 1999.

At http://www.oism.org/nwss/s73p924.htm on page 115 it tells you how to use granular KI for precise dosage using a saturated solution of KI. Be sure to buy plenty of eyedroppers.

I am quite frankly amazed at how much interest (and misinformation) there is about KI. Considering that the american public is so woefully scientifically ignorant (thanks in part to the See Spot. See Spot run. public school science education) and absurd propositions such as ozone holes, global warming, and the absurd belief that the virus that has been labeled HIV causes AIDS (fromerly known as GRID) are actually taken seriously by adults, I just have to wonder about the interest in KI. My point is this. If you are concerned about the need for KI you absolutely do need to purchase Cresson Kearney's book Nuclear War Survival Skills. If you have the book, read it. It will tell you what you need to know. Available from OISM, but not online - http://www.oism.org/oism/s32p903.htm has the price, with shipping included, and the address (upper left corner) to send your check to. They are not set up for handling credit cards. If anybody is doing community preparedness, e-mail them, they give a substantial discount (plus you save mucho on shipping) if you order a box (10? 12?) of books. Even if a person has no interest in matters nuclear, NWSS is the best single book on survival that I have seen and I've been active in the survivalist movement since the early 1980's.

P.S. Arthur Ashe was a very nice man, too bad he was killed much in the same manner that George Washington was killed. The diference was that Washington was dying anyway but Ashe could have lived for decades.

Dang, I have a mischievious streak, I am so tempted to to rewrite the above to Arthur Ashe was a very nice nigger, THAT might cuase people to wake up, THEN people might actually notice, THEN people might research why Arthur Ashe died, THEN they just might accidentally learn something. Of course I have to remember who I'm talking to here. This forum includes maybe .001% of the population. That's a scarily small number. I would hope that most of you have educated yourself above the popular junk science already.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), October 06, 1999.

After review of the links I'm figuring out that the bulk powdered form of KI can only be used after liquified - disappointed to hear that - as New Kid suggested the gelatin capsule idea sounded relatively easier and less expensive - doesnt really make sense to me though - why wouldnt it work that way (powder in caplsules) ??

-- The Young'n (Newbie@ShineTheLight.com), October 06, 1999.

NKotB - Oops. Sorry, even though you CAPITALIZED KIO3 I read it as KI.

I don't know how you can use KIO3 from bulk powder, because I don't know the solubility of KIO3. The 4 drops of saturated KI = 130 mg works only for something of the same solubility.

You'ld have to calculate the difference in weight between KI and KIO3 to figure out how many mg. of KIO3 = 130 mg. of KI. Measuring that small of an amount on a triple beam balance scale would be tedious. If any reloader has a loading scale that would be quicker. I suppose you could always calculate what 64 doses would equal and then get a mirror and a razor blade and start dividing the powder into halves. Hmmm a white powder, wouldn't look too good, would it.... Honestly officer.....

Back to KI saturated solution. You could make up the solution, put 4 drops into the gelatin capsules and QUICKLY consume it. After all those take several minutes to disolve. That would eliminate the taste problem.

You know if somebody drops the KI right down the throat missing the tongue you don't have the taste problem which isn't all THAT bad. (beware of what Ken says about taste, he actually brushes his teeth with Melalueca oil STRAIGHT and is known to have taken powdered nutrients, even B vitamins, mixed in water - Your Guardian Angel) NWSS book also recommends the buttered bread method too.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), October 06, 1999.

Sugar cubes might work better with that scenario if one were to stock up in bulk.

-- The Young'n (Newbie@ShineTheLight.com), October 06, 1999.

I just happen to notice that KIO3 is a teratogen (causes birth defects) according to my Aldrich Chemical Co. catalog. Be careful. I am going to post this under its own heading.

-- Dave (aaa@aaa.com), October 08, 1999.